Ore concentrating and dredging apparatus.



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A. B. STETSON. f

'ORE CUNGENTR'ATNG AND DREDGING APPARATUS.

(Application tiled Sept. 30, 1901.)

(No Model.) 3 sneeuwbui a.

` T a/ZZ whom it may concern/.-

UNITED STATES f FATENT OFFICE.,

ADELBERT lz". STETSON, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO TIIE BUCYRUS COMPANY, OF SOUTH MILVAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

ORE CQNCENTRATING AND DREDGING APPARATUS.

`PZEGIIEIATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 714,755, dated December 2, 1902.

Application filed September 30,1901. Serial No. 77,114. (No model.)

Be it known that I, ADELBERT B; STETsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofMilwaukee, in the countyof Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin,have in vented certain new Y and useful Improvements in Ore Concentrating and Dredging Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the followintr is a full, clear,

t and exact description thereof.

My invention has especial reference to'that class of dredging apparatus used for the relcovery of gold or other precious metals from the beds of rivers or streams; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts, as will be fully set forth hereinafter, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, and subsequently claimed.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a side view in elevation, showing the apparatus in working position. Fig. 2 is a Vtransverse vertical sectional View taken on the plane indicated by the line AA in Fig. 1 and drawn to an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a view of the central portion of my apparatus, drawn to an enlarged scale.

Heretofore in devices intended for this same general purpose the materialexcavated from the bed of the river or other bodyof water has been fed into rotary screens (usually called grizzlies) together with water from Ypipes projecting within the said rotary screens; and the principal object of my presf ent invention is to improve and simplify the construction of this class ofV dredging apparatusby doing away with the rotary` screens and employing reciprocating shaking screens, which greatly increase the efficiency of the apparatus,'while materially reducing the cost thereof. Referring to the drawings, a represents the `upper portion or deck of a dredge-boat of any ordinary construction. At the forward end of the boat are erected uprights b, (only7 one being shown in Fig. 1, as the other is in line therewith in elevation,) while between these uprights there is formed in this end of this boat the usual way or opening (not shown) for the swinging beam or ladder k, that supports and forms a track and guide for the bucket-chain c, the latter having a closelyconnected series of excavating-buckets d d, the said chain c, with its buckets, passing under and around a polygonal-faced Wheele,

journaled, as shown atf, at the lower end of the said ladder la, and over and around a like wheel g, journaled, as shown at h, to the casing of a hopper i, supported by uprigh'tsjl adjacent to the center of the dredge-boat deck erected nprights p, from which there extend forward to the hopper-uprights j horizontal beams Q, with intermediate props or supports r s. At the rear ends of the beams q la suitable motor 1f is supported, and from a pulley u on the shaft of said motor a belt 'U runs to a pulley 'w on a shaft w, transversely supported on the horizontal beams q q above the line of the props r, said shaft also carrying two other pulleys y and e, fast thereon. From the pulley y a belt 1 runs to a pulley .2, fast on the end of a shaft 3, journaled in boxes 4 4 on the props or supports s s, While from the remaining pulley e on said shaft as another belt 5 runs to a pulley 6 on a transverse shaft 7, journaled back ot' the props fr, adjacent to the. deck of the dredge-boat.

Suspended Afrom the horizontal beams q q shaking screen 9, and back of the same suspended by swinging hangers 10 10 is a like screen 11. These screens are set at an angle inclining from front to rear, the front and upper end of the screen 9 being located just beneath the inclined discharge-,bottom 12 of the hopper t', 'with the front and upper end of the screen l1 just beneath the rear and lower end of the screen 9 and the rear and lower end of said screen 11 just above the upper andfront end of the inclined guide-plate 13, which leads to the conveyer at the rear of the dredge-boat hereinafter described. The shaft 3 has fast thereon, adjacent to each end and just within the line of the props s s, two

oppositely-set eccentrics 14 15, whose straps terminate intlinks, the links 16 connecting the eccentrics 14 to the screen 9 and the links 17 connecting the eccentrics 15 to the screen 11, whereby the said suspended screens 9 11 .85 by the swinging hangers 8 8 is a reciprocating IOO are reciprocati-vely shaken by the revolution of the shaft 3. A pump 18 is located on the deck ct, and a pipe 19 extends therefrom having three branches 2O 20 2O at its discharge end, these branches being inclined upwardly above the screens 9 11 and provided with minute perforationsthrough their under sides,

so as to spray downwardly upon said screens and their contents water pumped up from the river or other body of water on which the dredge-boat is Heating. Below said screens there is located a stationary inclined distributing-pan 2l, (conveniently supported by hangers 22 22 from the horizontal beams q q above,) said pan having openings therethrough to distribute the fine material received from the screens upon a series of laterally-inclined gold-saving tables 23 23, arranged in successive inclined planes at each side of the line of the said distributing-pan, as best shown in Fig. 2, and being supported by suitable framework upon the deck a, so as to be also arranged in a successively downwardly-inclined line from front to rear, as shown in Fig. 1, the space between the upper adjacent ends of the highest of the tables 23 being covered and guarded by a conical deflecting-plate 24 beneath the distribuingpan 21, so that nothing may fall therefrom between said tables, and the lower edge of each table of one plane overlapping the higher edges of the tables of the next lower plane, the lower edges of the lowermost plane tables overlapping the inclined side slnices 25,which project beyond the rear end of the dredgeboat and discharge the water from said sluices into the stream or body of water, as shown in Fig. 1.

Between the described rear uprigh ts p there is an opening (not shown) through the dredgeboat for the passage therethrough of a vertical spud 26, supported and operated by blockand-tackle mechanism 27, which in turn is supported bysuitable uprights 28, rising from near said rear end of the dredge-boat, this spud 26 serving as an anchor for said rear end of the dredge-boat, from which point the boat swings about in the excavating operations. This spud 26 is heavy enough to sink by its own weight at the described point, the tackle 27 being employed to raise the spud 26 when the position of the rear end of the boat is to be shifted.

A conveyer of any suitable type is pivotally secured, as shown at 29, to the rear end of the dredge-boat and projects outwardly and upwardly therefrom, that shown in the drawings being of the form known as a Robins conveyer, comprising an endless carrying-belt 30, which extends from and around a pulley 31 on the hereinbefore-named shaft 7, adjacent tothe rear end of the boat, to and around a pulley 32, journaled at the outer end of the supporting-frame 33 of the conveyer, the said conveyer-frame being raised and lowered by suitable block-an'd-tackle mechanism 34 35, connected to thehereinbefore-named uprights 28, so that the outer end of the conveyer may be above the bank ofthe stream or other body of water whose bed is being operated upon, and the said conveyer-frame 33 supporting adjacent to its inner end the casing of the hopper 36, which receives the heavy waste material which passes from the screens 9 1l onto the inclined guide-plate 13, the said material being delivered by the said hopper 36 upon the described endless carrying-belt 30 of the conveyer, as indicated in Fig. 1, and thence being conveyed to the embankment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is Y 1. In an ore-concentrating apparatus, the combination of a plurality of longitudinallyinclined shaking screens; an intermediate shaft and eccentrics adapted to simultaneously reciprocate the screens in opposite directions; a distributing-pan provided with a foraminous bottom, below the series of screens; a dellecting-plate with oppositelyinclined sections below the distributing-pan; a series of concentrating-surfaces on each side of the detlecting-plate; a series of longitudinally-extending spray-pipes above the shaking screens; and means for feeding the material to be treated to the screens.

2. Thecombination withadredge-boathaving continuous excavating and elevating mechanism, of a plurality of longitudinallyinclined shaking screens for receiving the material therefrom; an intermediate shaft and eccentrics adapted to simultaneously reciprocate the screens in opposite directions; a distributing-pan provided with a foranlinous bottom, below the series of screens; a deliecting-plate with oppositely-inclined sections below the distributing-pan; a series of concentrating-surfaces on each side of the defiecting-plate; and a series of longitudinallyextending spray-pipes above the shaking screens.

3. The combination of a plurality of longitudinally-inclined shaking screens; an inter-` mediate shaft and eccentrics adapted to simultaneously reciprocate the screens in opposite directions; a distributing-pan provided with a foraminons bottom, below the series of screens; a deIiecting-plate with oppositelyinclined sections below the distributing-pan; a series of concentrating-surfaces on each side of the deflecting-plate; a series of longitudinally-extending spray-pipes above the shaking screens; and a conveyer for receiving and carrying away the heavy waste material from the said screens.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

ADELBERT B. STETSON.

Witnesses:

H. G. UNDERwooD, B. C. RoLoFF.

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